July 25, 2008

Time for the SEC Offices to Move to the ATL?

The SEC media days is just wrapping up today, and boy has it been a wild week. The biggest bomb to drop was the subpoening of Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer to give a deposition for a lawsuit by an Alabama booster against the NCAA. With shenanigins like this, Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution has mused whether it's time that the SEC Media Days followed the SEC championship game and moved east on I-20 to Atlanta as well. I'm thinking that the whole commissioner's office should go.

Birmingham has always billed itself as the 'College Football Capital of the South'. Perhaps it stems from having the University of Alabama play most of it's home games at Legion Field back in the good old days, and even had Auburn play it's home games against Tennessee there prior to 1980. It was the sentimental favorite to host the new conference championship game because that's where the SEC offices had been for decades. But there were also grumblings that it was an attempt by Alabama supporters to still retain as much control over the conference as possbile, even if the newest crown jewel of the SEC was going to look cornpone in the process.

It only took two years for everyone to see that the game was way bigger than the Magic City and it was promptly moved to Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the newest NFL arena at the time. The game took off like a Spurrier receiver on a post pattern and never looked back. As a matter of fact, many hard-core SEC fans conveniently forget that the inaugural games were in Birmingham.

But with all the glitz and glamour that IS the SEC these days, why not move the whole dog and pony show--the commissioner's office--from Bubbaville to Buckhead (Atlanta's high-line shopping and former nightlife district)? Wasn't I just reading an article about all the available office space in the downtown area? They could slide Mike Slive and company right on in. Score him some tickets for the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca Cola and I think we got this locked up tighter than a Jimmy Sexton deal.

Maybe they want to keep it in Bama'ham because everyone still thinks of it as a poor-man's Atlanta. Kinda like die-hard travellers will drive over there to catch a flight because it's infinitely cheaper than flying out of Atlanta, even if you do have eight more connecting flights to make. Perhaps they're holding out for Birmingham's hopeful Olympic bid, since Atlanta already had their shot...

Come on. They don't even play college football in that town any more. Alabama last played a regular season game there in 2003. Legion Field, never really a nice place, is really in disrepair. The only thing left to do with it is fill it with dirt and turn it into a big green planter. College Football Capital of the South? Gone with the wind! Wait. Atlanta, too. Never mind...

Come on, SEC offices, make the move. The ATL is good enough for companies like UPS and Holiday Inn to move to in the last few years, not to mention about 1300 aspiring rappers and record producers, so let's bust a move!

Oh... That's like sooo 1980s, isn't it? Just like Birmingham being the center of the SEC...

Posted by War Eagle Atlanta

Comments:

Time for the SEC Offices to Move to the ATL?
The SEC media days is just wrapping up today, and boy has it been a wild week. The biggest bomb to drop was the subpoening of Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer to give a deposition for a lawsuit by an Alabama booster against the NCAA. With shenanigins like this, Tony Barnhart of the Atlanta Journal and Constitution has mused whether it's time that the SEC Media Days followed the SEC championship game and moved east on I-20 to Atlanta as well. I'm thinking that the whole commissioner's office should go. Birmingham has always billed itself as the 'College Football Capital of the South'. Perhaps it stems from having the University of Alabama play most of it's home games at Legion Field back in the good old days, and even had Auburn play it's home games against Tennessee there prior to 1980. It was the sentimental favorite to host the new conference championship game because that's where the SEC offices had been for decades. But there were also grumblings that it was an attempt by Alabama supporters to still retain as much control over the conference as possbile, even if the newest crown jewel of the SEC was going to look cornpone in the process. It only took two years for everyone to see that the game was way bigger than the Magic City and it was promptly moved to Atlanta's Georgia Dome, the newest NFL arena at the time. The game took off like a Spurrier receiver on a post pattern and never looked back. As a matter of fact, many hard-core SEC fans conveniently forget that the inaugural games were in Birmingham. But with all the glitz and glamour that IS the SEC these days, why not move the whole dog and pony show--the commissioner's office--from Bubbaville to Buckhead (Atlanta's high-line shopping and former nightlife district)? Wasn't I just reading an article about all the available office space in the downtown area? They could slide Mike Slive and company right on in. Score him some tickets for the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca Cola and I think we got this locked up tighter than a Jimmy Sexton deal. Maybe they want to keep it in Bama'ham because everyone still thinks of it as a poor-man's Atlanta. Kinda like die-hard travellers will drive over there to catch a flight because it's infinitely cheaper than flying out of Atlanta, even if you do have eight more connecting flights to make. Perhaps they're holding out for Birmingham's hopeful Olympic bid, since Atlanta already had their shot... Come on. They don't even play college football in that town any more. Alabama last played a regular season game there in 2003. Legion Field, never really a nice place, is really in disrepair. The only thing left to do with it is fill it with dirt and turn it into a big green planter. College Football Capital of the South? Gone with the wind! Wait. Atlanta, too. Never mind... Come on, SEC offices, make the move. The ATL is good enough for companies like UPS and Holiday Inn to move to in the last few years, not to mention about 1300 aspiring rappers and record producers, so let's bust a move! Oh... That's like sooo 1980s, isn't it? Just like Birmingham being the center of the SEC...